Uber drivers at CNS routinely cancelling rides to manipulate surge pricing

[marks]

Exactly the same uber driver issue happens at Brisbane Airport............

Agree. But we can use Didi.
I have booked an uber, then it sat there for 10 mins (I was waiting for my clubs anyway). I booked a Didi instead but waited for the uber to cancel. I did ping them a few times before I booked Didi with no response.
I'm using Didi more from BNE pickups now.

 

[anat0l]

Agree. But we can use Didi.
I have booked an uber, then it sat there for 10 mins (I was waiting for my clubs anyway). I booked a Didi instead but waited for the uber to cancel. I did ping them a few times before I booked Didi with no response.
I'm using Didi more from BNE pickups now.

Didi keep throwing vouchers at me; somehow, it sometimes just makes them the same price as Uber, but whatever.

Ironically, there are many drivers who are juggling both ridesharing apps at the same time. They try and game both to see if more favourable jobs can come up on either, which might explain why you get sudden cancellations or drivers just ignoring you after accepting.

 

[moa999]

At a small airport like CNS I would have thought any gaming is inefficient and self - corrects pretty quickly.

All it takes is a few pax to realise Uber is in surge and take a taxi and you end up with an excess of Ubers waiting.
Which means 1. A handful of drivers cant push fares by cancelling as there are other drivers around.. and 2. On their next journey the gaming drivers have to wait for a fare. Which probably negatively impacts their earnings more than the original bump

 

[marks]

Is there a complaints system for Uber on this? Do they care?

 

[anat0l]

At a small airport like CNS I would have thought any gaming is inefficient and self - corrects pretty quickly.

All it takes is a few pax to realise Uber is in surge and take a taxi and you end up with an excess of Ubers waiting.
Which means 1. A handful of drivers cant push fares by cancelling as there are other drivers around.. and 2. On their next journey the gaming drivers have to wait for a fare. Which probably negatively impacts their earnings more than the original bump

It does require passengers having an idea of how much they should be up for a fare. For several Australians or return visitors, sure, that's easy. But for an unsuspecting tourist, what do they know. For all we know, from where they came from, they have come to rely on Uber and often more than the taxi service, and they may not have done as much homework as we might have done to ensure they are paying a fair price for the ride.

Of course, when Uber changed their app so that the fare is displayed as a flat number and no longer as the "base fare" with a surge multiplier, that just made it all the much harder.

There's still lots of tourists who just hop into taxis without a second thought (and no, they are not just the types who know they will be reimbursed by the company no matter what). I assume some do this with Uber - call one and don't stare twice at the price.

What you say is still true and it is interesting how much Uber drivers think they can game the system in their favour when they are just making themselves more rope to hang with.

 

[anat0l]

Is there a complaints system for Uber on this?

There's always a complaints or feedback system for Uber. Whether you will get an adequate or timely response (or even commensurate justice) is a wholly different thing.

For whatever it is worth, people have been complaining about taxis doing very questionably ethical things (including refusing rides) for a very long time now. They have more accountability to the governments than Uber does, and yet nothing really, truly happens to taxi drivers unless they happen to do something provably criminal.

Do they care?

No.

 

[NM]

My complaint process is to ensure I am not caught out a second time. Uber will not be getting my business from CNS to hotel in a few weeks. I know the fare cost to expect with a taxi and I am not interested in possibly saving $2 playing games with Uber drivers and waiting longer for them to actually arrive at the pick-up point. Its just not worth a couple of bucks.

Uber TO the airport, yes

Uber FROM the airport, no.

 

[Aeryn]

What was the issue? Those prices seem quite reasonable. Was this to the CBD or closer to the airport?

There wasnt one, typo meant to be "I cant say" not I can say, my keyboards sticks sometimes

 

[jastel]

It does require passengers having an idea of how much they should be up for a fare. For several Australians or return visitors, sure, that's easy. But for an unsuspecting tourist, what do they know. For all we know, from where they came from, they have come to rely on Uber and often more than the taxi service, and they may not have done as much homework as we might have done to ensure they are paying a fair price for the ride.

Of course, when Uber changed their app so that the fare is displayed as a flat number and no longer as the "base fare" with a surge multiplier, that just made it all the much harder.

There's still lots of tourists who just hop into taxis without a second thought (and no, they are not just the types who know they will be reimbursed by the company no matter what). I assume some do this with Uber - call one and don't stare twice at the price.

What you say is still true and it is interesting how much Uber drivers think they can game the system in their favour when they are just making themselves more rope to hang with.

CNS has a rough guide for public transport prices posted on signs in the baggage claim...as do many other airports. If they care about pricing people will google.
CNS Airport Taxi fare is still cheaper than most.

 

[Pigg]

When we arr in Cns last year to attend Ozfest, we tried Didi..haha...that didn't exist in Cns although the app suggested it did! We then tried Uber which had some ridiculously high surge pricing....we waited 15-20 mins and the price dropped significantly ($16.81 to Hilton -13 min ride ). No issues catching an Uber back to airport ($12.49 but we had some promo which gave us $8 of the ride -12 min ride).

Didi does exist in Cairns just not at the airport theoretically. Plenty do get a Didi ride from the airport, you just need to go to the uber pick up area and ignore where Didi tells you to go.

Post automatically merged: Mar 31, 2025

At a small airport like CNS I would have thought any gaming is inefficient and self - corrects pretty quickly.

All it takes is a few pax to realise Uber is in surge and take a taxi and you end up with an excess of Ubers waiting.
Which means 1. A handful of drivers cant push fares by cancelling as there are other drivers around.. and 2. On their next journey the gaming drivers have to wait for a fare. Which probably negatively impacts their earnings more than the original bump

It negatively affects their status also but cancelling fares does not increase the surge pricing.

 

[Pigg]

Arrived into CNS and decided to use Uber. Booked and then driver assigned and soon cancelled. New driver assigned and then cancelled. happened multiple times and each time the price was going up - due to "high demand". Gave up and wandered back to the taxi rank and no wait at all and a very pleasant taxi driver. He explained that the Uber drivers often manipulate the surging at the airport in this way. Taxi ride was lower cost than the surging Uber price at that time.

Return to the airport and Uber drivers were unable to manipulate the surging and readily/quickly available. Got a very pleasant Uber driver who confirmed they never wait at the airport for inbound flights because a cartel of drivers try to make everyone play their game.

heading back to CNS soon. Will head straight to taxi rank. return to the airport will likely be Uber.

Uber drivers cannot manipulate the surge in any way and even if they did they are taking a huge chance that the trip they eventually recieved would be worth it after sitting waiting for it. By two way, there is often a huge line for taxis also, Cairns is a very busy airport nowadays for its population.

 

[anat0l]

Saw that AFF have created an article out of this thread.

One thing I picked up is that Didi doesn't have an agreement with Cairns Airport to use the rideshare pickup area. OK, given. What stops Didi from simply picking up passengers from the public area, i.e. people who have private cars picking up friends, relatives, etc.? Basically just like calling and getting picked up by a Didi anywhere else that isn't the airport. Is it illegal for a business that isn't registered / has the airport's permission to do so?

I suppose if you ever have a good Didi driver in Cairns, may be a light idea to see if you can exchange contact details for private pickups from the airport in the future (cash under the table, or start the ride outside the geoblocked zone plus a generous tip).

Had to laugh at this amusing inclusion near the end of the article:

As there is also no public bus service to Cairns Airport, the alternatives if you don’t have a car are to catch a taxi, catch a shuttle, or walk.

I guess that is an option. Cairns CBD is only, ahem, about 6 km from Cairns Airport (looks much further than that on the map, and seems further when you're in the car driving / being driven). You could cut that walk down to 3.5 km by taking a public bus part of the way (but that ride is not going to be 50c, unlike in SEQ). It would look rather odd trekking Airport Ave (not sure if anyone would think you're a threat). There's no footpaths for that section of the "walk", but if one is crazy enough or frugal enough to consider walking to or from the airport, they probably don't have a trolley bag of any sort.

 

[Saab34]

I often see people walking that airport road. Mostly backpackers. Watch out for the snakes we saw a dead one near the road edge last year while up that way.

 

[Happy Dude]

It negatively affects their status also but cancelling fares does not increase the surge pricing.

OK, good to know but begs the question of why do it then? It's common and widespread and does nothing but create distrust.

 

[hugamuga]

I tried to walk it once, because my hotel was near the airport and Uber was being gamed ($50+ for a 5 minute ride or something ridiculous). A police car pulled over, told me it was too dangerous to walk and gave me a lift. It's an absolute disgrace that the bus doesn't stop near the terminal and there is no footpath, travellers are just completely held hostage if they don't use a taxi or a hire car.

I have also experienced similar surge gaming at Darwin airport, but managed to avoid it by walking out of the airport zone

 

[anat0l]

OK, good to know but begs the question of why do it then? It's common and widespread and does nothing but create distrust.

That's the funny thing about unethical Uber and taxi drivers. They do things that increase distrust when really they are creating rope for themselves, then they still complain when they think they're being screwed out of a fair living.

All of them are too stubborn to realise it doesn't work, or at least whatever marginal gain they think or actually do get is hardly worth the loss in trust.

One thing that people lose when having to put up with shenanigans like this isn't necessarily money, but time. Having idiotic Uber drivers pull a scheme while the taxi rank / network is being pushed to the hilt is just a hotbed of hurt for anyone who is in a hurry.

If I put on my super conspiracy theory hat, maybe the idiotic Uber drivers are in fact taxi industry moles who don't care about their rating or getting deactivated and have been planted en masse to be the worst Uber drivers and bring down the standard of service or screw over the network overall, thereby making the taxis look much more attractive and is much less effort than trying to lobby the governments or resorting to more physical mob tactics.

 

[jastel]

I thought you already had the hat on...lol
Some facts from a local who does know some Taxi and Uber Drivers.

I dont condone rip off Taxis or Ubers and there are definitely bad eggs in both camps.
It is not just a Cairns problem but, the system that exists in Qld where ubers can charge what they like and cancel jobs while Taxis are much more restricted is just wrong. Drivers are not interested in helping the Taxi Companies or Ubers image, they are just trying to make a living. Any business that doesnt take the most profitable job will fail....thats why they pick and choose fares.

Cairns does get busy sometimes due to school holidays, conferences, weather etc just like any other Tourist town, sometimes the cars are simply busy and not just sitting around.

Didi probably wont pay the Airport Access fee..ie TOLL that Taxis/Buses and Uber pay to get "allowed" a pick up spot of bitumen. Then they then charge it to the customer. Its $2.50 pick up or drop off at DOM and $5 pick up at INT...note NO drop off fee at INT, thats why pick up fee is doubled. This is due to the set up of the roads which have been there since the 80's...I am sure they are working on a way to charge a Toll there as well. This fee is paid by the driver of Taxis and Ubers, on their personal credit card, this is topped up either manually or automatically when the balance gets low, similar to a Toll Tag for roads in the big cities. Bus companies may have a corporate card, so the company gets billed rather than the driver personally.

If the Gestapo catch a Taxi or Uber dropping off/picking up in the "public free pick up/drop off area" they get reported and their access is taken away. Same for any speeding, arguments with security etc. It is PRIVATE property and they can ban whoever they like. Bus/Taxis/Uber drivers dont like the Toll either, passengers complain at them as they have to charge it, thinking it goes to the driver. It's all about the $$$.

Qantas freight just before DOM is the only real other no toll place to get a ride if you are a real cheapskate but you probably will wait twice as long as the driver will expect you to have a dog or large boxes if you wait there.

Plenty of people walk in and out of Cairns Airport, just hope they are not sitting next to you on the plane out. One backpacker tourist was hit on the road at night a few years ago, so it is a risk, they spent a fortune upgrading the lighting along there. Nowadays lots of staff scooter out there as well at night, though mostly they have lights on.

Cairns does have 50c public bus fares, once you make it to Sheridan St (the highway) like most other Qld regional centres.

The reason there is no public bus there, like a great many other places, is when it was a little airport years ago the government issued an Airport Shuttle Bus contract for X number of years so SOMEBODY would go there in cheaper competition with Taxis and Limos. This cost the bus operator MONEY and the deal was NO PUBLIC buses for however long. It is not a license to print money as several operators have failed. Just like the Airtrain lines at SYD and BNE are protected.

Remember governments at the whinging of the public, caused all this mess. Uber surging, Taxi deregulation, buses locked out, Airport Privatisation etc. What sounded like a good idea at the time had other problems later.

Every few years or so, a Green political hopeful comes up with the thought bubble of a light rail to the Airport and Beaches...we cant even get a Highway out of the place that doesnt flood every second week, the road damage from Jasper is STILL is not fixed from last years floods.

Better start being nice to those (honest) Taxis and Ubers unless you want to walk.

 

[montefiorejackie]

To combat this, a DiDi driver once told me to message the uber driver to say you’ve “taken a screenshot so I can remember your details“ and this will decrease the likelihood of them cancelling

 

[aikman]

On my last Uber trip from CNS to the CBD, my driver asked me if I was using a discount because he said the fare was really low and it wasn't really worth his time. I said I wasn't using a discount, which was true. The fare was $24.

 

[Pigg]

Didi does exist in Cairns just not at the airport theoretically. Plenty do get a Didi ride from the airport, you just need to go to the uber pick up area and ignore where Didi tells you to go.

Post automatically merged: Mar 31, 2025

It negatively affects their status also but cancelling fares does not increase the surge pricing.

Saw that AFF have created an article out of this thread.

One thing I picked up is that Didi doesn't have an agreement with Cairns Airport to use the rideshare pickup area. OK, given. What stops Didi from simply picking up passengers from the public area, i.e. people who have private cars picking up friends, relatives, etc.? Basically just like calling and getting picked up by a Didi anywhere else that isn't the airport. Is it illegal for a business that isn't registered / has the airport's permission to do so?

I suppose if you ever have a good Didi driver in Cairns, may be a light idea to see if you can exchange contact details for private pickups from the airport in the future (cash under the table, or start the ride outside the geoblocked zone plus a generous tip).

Had to laugh at this amusing inclusion near the end of the article:

I guess that is an option. Cairns CBD is only, ahem, about 6 km from Cairns Airport (looks much further than that on the map, and seems further when you're in the car driving / being driven). You could cut that walk down to 3.5 km by taking a public bus part of the way (but that ride is not going to be 50c, unlike in SEQ). It would look rather odd trekking Airport Ave (not sure if anyone would think you're a threat). There's no footpaths for that section of the "walk", but if one is crazy enough or frugal enough to consider walking to or from the airport, they probably don't have a trolley bag of any sort.

Dozens walk into Cairns from the Airport every day carrying their backpacks or dragging their suitcases with them. I see plenty of snakes along there though and two people were run over and killed doing the same several years ago. Anybody in the know also knows that you can get didi from the Uber pick up area, if a driver tries picking up from the public area they get fined and could lose their Airport access card.